This invention relates to a method of making a more stable low calorie imitation margarine product than is commercially available.
Most low calorie margarine-like spreads previously have contained casein. Casein, the protein of milk, is a natural ingredient of cheese, butter and margarine. However, in simulating a low-calorie margarine which contains more protein then normal, several problems have been encountered when the protein has been casein. When simulating such margarine formulations two phases are prepared separately, i.e., (1) a water phase containing the protein and (2) a fat or oil phase. The two phases must be mixed to form a water-in-oil emulsion. Casein, however has a strong oil-in-water forming ability which is particularly noticeable as the last of the water phase is added. U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,904 attempted to correct this problem by first forming an oil-in-water emulsion and then inverting the emulsion to the water-in-oil type. Alternatively, they offered a method for directly forming the water-in-oil emulsion by heating the water phase and injecting it into a pre-cooled oil phase. Notwithstanding this first problem an additional drawback was discovered. It was discovered that proteins generally and casein in particular could not be successfully employed in acid medium to form margarine emulsions owing to the coagulation of the protein. Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,835 offered, as an apparent improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,904, a process in which an acidogenic substance was utilized to form the emulsion at alkaline pH but would slowly turn acidic for the purpose of microbiological keepability. Vegetable protein has been treated in the literature as having the same problems as casein.